Jessica von Bredow-Werndl

Dressage, holistic training

“Our motto is: “always for the horse”. Our approach is holistic and the way the horse is kept, fed, his state of mind, and good management all play a crucial part in the training of the horse”

The Werndl brother and sister duo run their successful dressage and training stable, Gut Aubenhausen, located in the Alpine foothills of Rosenheim. Formerly known as Lewitzer Pony Stud and run by their Aunty, this is where Jessica and Benjamin first started riding on little skewbald ponies. Benjamin Werndl’s first pony was a little mare named Lady and Jessica Werndl rode Little Girl. It was on this pony that Jessica was first “discovered”, when trainer Stefan Münch noticed how beautifully she sat on a horse. He then coached Jessica and Benjamin to Grand Prix level.

As junior and young riders both were very successful: Jessica Werndl, as she was then known, won six gold medals at European Championships and Benjamin Werndl collected three team gold medals and one individual silver as a young rider. Today Jessica and Benjamin are both part of the German Olympic squad.

“We want to ride motivated horses. The goal is to be able to explain how the horses can best use their bodies so the movements we want them to learn, is easy for them. It is therefore important to treat each horse as an individual, each horse has his own character and is put together differently. By focusing on the strengths of the horse we develop his weak points. Horses want to do the right thing, therefore when they do something wrong it is usually because they have not understood what we want. Then the rider needs to take a moment and ask themselves: maybe I didn’t explain it correctly?”

The best horse Jessica has is the stallion Unee BB. With him she came third at the World Cup Final in Las Vegas in 2015 and in Göteborg in 2016. He was also responsible for the bronze medal with the German Team at the 2015 European Championships. In 2019 she established her new personal record in the CDI5* in München with a score of 85,440%. Benjamin’s top horses are Der Hit and Daily Mirror, with which he won two World cups in 2018 (Salzburg and Budapest).

You can read more about Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Benjamin Werndl on their website.

The Werndl brother and sister duo run their successful dressage and training stable, Gut Aubenhausen, located in the Alpine foothills of Rosenheim. Formerly known as Lewitzer Pony Stud and run by their Aunty, this is where Jessica and Benjamin first started riding on little skewbald ponies. Benjamin Werndl’s first pony was a little mare named Lady and Jessica Werndl rode Little Girl. It was on this pony that Jessica was first “discovered”, when trainer Stefan Münch noticed how beautifully she sat on a horse. He then coached Jessica and Benjamin to Grand Prix level.

As junior and young riders both were very successful: Jessica Werndl, as she was then known, won six gold medals at European Championships and Benjamin Werndl collected three team gold medals and one individual silver as a young rider. Today Jessica and Benjamin are both part of the German Olympic squad.

“We want to ride motivated horses. The goal is to be able to explain how the horses can best use their bodies so the movements we want them to learn, is easy for them. It is therefore important to treat each horse as an individual, each horse has his own character and is put together differently. By focusing on the strengths of the horse we develop his weak points. Horses want to do the right thing, therefore when they do something wrong it is usually because they have not understood what we want. Then the rider needs to take a moment and ask themselves: maybe I didn’t explain it correctly?”

The best horse Jessica has is the stallion Unee BB. With him she came third at the World Cup Final in Las Vegas in 2015 and in Göteborg in 2016. He was also responsible for the bronze medal with the German Team at the 2015 European Championships. In 2019 she established her new personal record in the CDI5* in München with a score of 85,440%. Benjamin’s top horses are Der Hit and Daily Mirror, with which he won two World cups in 2018 (Salzburg and Budapest).

You can read more about Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Benjamin Werndl on their website.

Related videos

Develop a soft and steady contact through correct riding

Once the basics of rhythm and suppleness have been established it is time to work on contact, as the next phase of the riding training. A steady contact should consist of a soft connection between the hands of the rider and the mouth of the horse. Pulling the head is never the solution. The movement should come from behind resulting in a horse that comes through the body to the bit and hands.

Duration: 16:26 Minutes

The school of Légèreté Part 7: Combined lateral movements

Lateral movements are of great importance when it comes to gymnasticizing the horse. Shoulder-in, travers, renvers and counter shoulder-in, as well as fluidly transitioning from one to another result in a chance to play with the balance of the horse. Well executed, those movements lead to an increase in flexibility, suppleness and a prompt reaction to the aids of the rider.

Duration: 10:44 Minutes

Working with long reins part 2: Reinsetting & first long reining exercises for the horse

Working in long reins is a fascinating possibility to school your horse in all the movements without the weight of a rider on his back. With the necessary preparation work in hand, teaching the horse these long reining exercises should be easily achieved. Once the first step forwards and the first turn have been achieved a serpentine through the entire arena is not far off.

Duration: 26:09 Minutes

Just Paul Part 3: dressage training in windy and noisy conditions

This series allows you to watch as Olympic medallist, Ingrid Klimke, trains the young dressage gelding “Just Paul” over two years. Even though the training conditions were not optimal today, this provides an opportunity to get the young horse used to a new situation. Watch how Ingrid does it!

Duration: 10:07 Minutes

Just Paul Part 1: First dressage training session with Paul Stecken for the young horse

Videos from Jessica von Bredow-Werndl

If you want your horse to run like a rubber ball, you have to become a rubber ball yourself. This is the credo of the Werndl siblings. They show how they improve their equestrian fitness through different workouts such as strength training, endurance training, and yoga and explain how helpful mental training can be when it comes to riding competition.

Duration: 06:57 Minutes

Dressage sport – holistic approach to success Part 4: Management and health of the horse

The management of a horse plays an essential role in their mental health. Jessica von Bredow-Werndl feels plenty of time out of the box and going in the paddock or field each day is necessary for her horse’s well-being, explaining her steps to ensure the horses remain as healthy as possible and shows how she massages them before riding.

Duration: 14:01 Minutes

Dressage sport – holistic approach to success Part 3: Hand and ground work for dressage horses

An important part of the education of their dressage horses is meaningful variation. The Werndl siblings, together with Head Rider Andreas Hausberger and groundwork expert Warwick Mclean, help the horses strengthen body and mind. Cavaletti work and loosening work on the lunge is also part of their program.

The opinion of an external trainer and analysis of videos is, for Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and her brother Benjamin Werndl, proof of their training before a dressage competition. German National Coach Jonny Hilberath takes over the role of a supervisor on the ground and coaches them both. We watch as one horse, almost ready for Grand Prix, is schooled.

Duration: 24:51 Minutes

Dressage sport – holistic approach to success part 1: Dressage riding philosophy in the daily work

The intelligent riding of dressage horses begins for Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and her brother Benjamin Werndl with the right conditions for the horse. Their focus is on developing the horse. Success is not a primary goal but rather an automatic result. They coach each other and show us in this video how they put that into practice.

Duration: 18:48 Minutes

Related videos

Develop a soft and steady contact through correct riding

Once the basics of rhythm and suppleness have been established it is time to work on contact, as the next phase of the riding training. A steady contact should consist of a soft connection between the hands of the rider and the mouth of the horse. Pulling the head is never the solution. The movement should come from behind resulting in a horse that comes through the body to the bit and hands.

Duration: 16:26 Minutes

The school of Légèreté Part 7: Combined lateral movements

Lateral movements are of great importance when it comes to gymnasticizing the horse. Shoulder-in, travers, renvers and counter shoulder-in, as well as fluidly transitioning from one to another result in a chance to play with the balance of the horse. Well executed, those movements lead to an increase in flexibility, suppleness and a prompt reaction to the aids of the rider.

Duration: 10:44 Minutes

Working with long reins part 2: Reinsetting & first long reining exercises for the horse

Working in long reins is a fascinating possibility to school your horse in all the movements without the weight of a rider on his back. With the necessary preparation work in hand, teaching the horse these long reining exercises should be easily achieved. Once the first step forwards and the first turn have been achieved a serpentine through the entire arena is not far off.

Duration: 26:09 Minutes

Just Paul Part 3: dressage training in windy and noisy conditions

This series allows you to watch as Olympic medallist, Ingrid Klimke, trains the young dressage gelding “Just Paul” over two years. Even though the training conditions were not optimal today, this provides an opportunity to get the young horse used to a new situation. Watch how Ingrid does it!

Duration: 10:07 Minutes

Just Paul Part 1: First dressage training session with Paul Stecken for the young horse